Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-08-19
MYsTERIeUsLY WARNED.
And the Warning Revealed
a Heavy Robbery of Elk.
press.
Watch The Box" Repeatedly Said
the Sounder 10 the Station
Agent

Calais is a small town on a branch of the
Wells River railroad, but it has a big
sensation. A desperate attempt vas
made last Wednesday night to rob the.
express messengers safe In the railroad
station Office, and was frustrated in a
so mysterious that it seemed to
border on the weird. Hermann S. Ben
jamin is the night agent, and on the
above day part of the money for wages
for men in the stone quarries arrived.
When the day agent handed him the
keys, he remarked that the quarry Doodle
had come. Said he. Its in the safe there
-$3S, 900 in bills. The silver will be up
on the way train
Benjamin said good night and thought
no more about the money until the ac-
commodation train arrived at $50, when
an ~iron-bound box, about a foot square,
was delivered to him by the express mes
senger. The box was filed with silver
dollars.
Hermann placed 1t in the safe, and Get
ting his signals and lights for the express
train, sat down to. read.
The telegraph ticker, close at hand, oc-
~casionally licked off a through message
of no particular Importance, and he paid
little or no attention to the instrument
until suddenly his office was called three
times rapidly. He sprang to the key and
answered, for his duties as an operator
were part of his requirements. No reply
to the answer came, and after waiting
some time he shut off the key and went
back to his reading. Again he was
called, with the same result, and this
was repeated twice, until, angry and dis
gusted, he had decided that some one
was playing a trick, and he sat glaring
at the offending sounder, his. book in
hand, when a message began to rattle
out, its very meagerness being startling.
1t said:
Watch the boxr' watch the boxp'
ttWatch the box!n
AT last he surmised that 1t meant the
box of silver. He opened the safe and
looked in. 1t was all safe there, and
while he was wondering what it was all
about the whistle of the express was
heard. He went out as usual, and was
surprised to see that it was slowing up
to stop. No passengers alighted, but
several of the employees lifted from the
~baggage-car d coffin, the outer covering
of stained pine. They said they had or
ders to stop and leave it to be called for
in the morning. The box was placed in.
the e1press-room near the safe, and the
train departed, but no sooner had its
rumblings ceased than the t%elegraphic
instrument began again in its most lively
~roundelay.
Watch the boxt'' aWatch the boxi"
"Watch the bexR'
All of a sudden, by instinct, it seemed,
there flashed through Beniamin's brain
the thought that perhaps it was the SOM
Der looking casket that the mysterious
message referred to. He examined it
carefully, but there was nothing suspici-
GUS about 1t. 1t was heavy, there was
no sound within and the lid seemed Sc
curely screwed down. 1t did not seem ut
all Suspicious, but Herman determined to
be on the safe side, and decided he would
keep his eyes open He made up his usu.
al impromptu bed on a bench, and after
seeing that his revolver was all right he
placed 1t under his head and laid down.
He finally fell asleep, to suddenly awake
and hear the telegraph instrument IN the
next room rafting away ~furiousIy and
extraordinarily loud:
Watch the box "Wateh the box
"Watch the box!',
He was fully awake in an instant, and
turning his gaze to where the coffin lay,
he saw by the dim light of the station
lamp the lid rise slightly. He watched
breathlessly and 8 cold sweat broke out
all over him. His heart beat quick as a
man got up and slipped out of the box
and looked about him. He was a power
fully built fellow, but so was Benjamin,
who, seeing his visitor was flesh and
blood, rsgained his courage,
Taking it for granted that Benjamin.
was asleep, the burglar stole over to the
SAFE and knelt before it with his back to
the agent, Now was Renjamin's time
for seizing his revolver. He. stepped
from the bench and with a bound was on
the burglars back Then there ensued q
terrible struggle, but Benjamin had him
about the neck, and was slowly stran-
Cling him when the man drew a long
knife and lunged at his antagonist. To
save himself Benjamin pressed his re-
volver against the robbers shoulder and
fred. With a howl the robber rolled
over on his back, the blood pouring from
his wound.
Benjamin ran for aid. Returning with
two men, they passed top wagon being
driven furiously towards the village.
They called to the drive, but he paid no
attention to them.
When they entered the station, TO their
surprise they found the supposed dead
man gone. There was the empty coffin
and the burglar tools, just as the robber
dropped them, besides 4 pool of blood on
the floor, but that was all.
The coffin, upon examination, was
found to have been bolted on the inside,
the supposed screws being bogus. 1t was
was furnished comfortably, and the air
holes in the side made life inside almost
a luxury. Next day ne matter was re-
ported toathe railway officials, who re.
warded Benjamin handsomely and began
an investigation,
The company then examined every op.
orator along the line as to who sent the
warning message, but one and all de-
clared they did not, and the whole affair
is surrounded by the greatest mystery.
The matter is the sole topic of CONVEX
sation in this neighborhood, and a raft of
people have come from all sections to
visit the station and see the coffin, tools
and blool stains which daclipa 10 h. - a